This week various events are happening around Newcastle University campus and the city to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) on Wednesday 8th March under the theme of #beboldforchange which also prioritises the call to action worldwide for speeding up gender parity.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) report on gender and inequality shows why the issue of parity still remains vital. The findings make for sobering reading, particularly the part that predicts that the pay gap won’t close entirely until 2186. This is highly dependent on region too. In Europe the gap for equal pay is 47 years however other figures are much worse. In North America, the statistics are in retrograde and in South Asia the WEF predict it will be 1000 years before the pay gap is closed.
The events happening across the North-East highlight the different ways that everyone can #beboldforchange and find motivations in different sources past and present. Tomorrow there’s a lecture on Inspirational Women of the North East by Prof Helen Berry, between 1.30-3pm at the Kings Hall. On International Women’s Day itself Professor Karen Ross as part of her ESRC IAA project ‘NOT Acting Our Age: Older Women Challenging Gender Stereotypes and Celebrating Life’ will be organising a flash mob at 12 noon in Grainger Market. Later on there is a lecture at Newcastle Business School between 5pm and 7.30 entitled ‘Celebrating Women in the World of Work: Smashing the Glass Ceiling’, details of which can be found here. In Newcastle and Gateshead there are also a number of free events happening throughout the week, which NCVS has collated here.
On Thursday the Institute for Health and Society is featuring talks from the Angelou Centre and Riverside Project at a free event that starts at 2pm at the Medical School. On the same day at 17:30 in the Herschel Building there will be a discussion around citizenship and equality as part of the Annual Tyneside Geographical Lecture (joint with Royal Geographical Society). Speakers Dame Vera Baird, QC, PCC Northumbria and Dr. Kaneez Shaid, MBE, Chair of Trustees, Citizens UK will explore identities of citizenship and equality that are forged in the public spaces of civil society.
As various conversations begin about #beingboldforchange this week (and beyond) there can hopefully be a turn from just talking into clear collective action…2186 is too long to wait for equality.
For more resources and information about holding an event please see the main website for International Women’s Day.
A full list of University events can be found here.